Cao Cao's Alliance
by Hostiledude
Summary: Horrible writers block lately, but hopefully I'm over it. Kind of a boring chapter, but the next one will be good.
1. The Deadly Alliance

Liu Bei led his army fearlessly through hundreds of Wei forces, intent on taking Cao Cao's head when he finally arrived at the Wei base. Ignoring his won health, he plunged through enemy forces and hacked his way to the commander.

"You're going in too deep!" he heard Guan Yu shout at him, but he ignored his brother and continued on toward the center. Ha, luck! The enemy in front of him was Cao Bu, Cao Cao's elderly uncle. The old man was far from being defeated in battle, but he was surely no match for the blade of Liu Bei, a commander who was still in his prime. The Shu commander spun around with his blade out, cutting down many brave soldiers where they stood. This gave him an opening to reach Cao Bu. The old man slashed at Liu Bei, but the younger man slid to the side with his characteristic speed and cut into Cao Bu from the side.

As soon as Cao Bu's troops saw their commander be cut down, their morale was shattered and they all took off. It made no difference, Liu Bei knew. They would all be hunted down by mounted Shu forces and killed. Zhang Fei ran up. "You didn't kill the old bastard, did you?" he asked in his rough voice.

"No, he's just stunned. I want him as our prisoner."

Guan Yu rode up on his horse. "Well," he said contentedly, "That's quite a catch. Cao Cao will be sore over this!"

Liu Bei nodded. "Bring him to my tent when he is well enough to talk." With that, the commander walked off the dwindling battlefield and prepared to set up camp. Having captured Cao Bu was a great accomplishment. He would not kill the old man. That was not allowed by the customs of the time. But hopefully he could gain information about Cao Cao's army from him. He must know something of the inner workings.

A few hours later, as Liu Bei was looking over maps in his tent, Cao Bu was brought before him. The old man would be no threat, so Liu Bei signaled for his guards to leave them alone. "So, how long has it been, Cao Bu?"

The Wei commander looked up with malice in his aged eyes. "It truly has been quite a while. Don't you look on this as an accomplishment. If I was still in my youth, I would have taken you, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei at the same time and won!"

"Enough banter! Tell me what you know of Cao Cao's army! Something must have changed since the last time we fought or he would never have dared to put his own uncle out there first."

"Something has changed, but you must think I'm crazy if you think I'm going to tell you what it is. I'm sorry but you've already lost!"

"I plan on invading anyway, Cao Bu. Why can't you just tell me what he did? Is it a trap? A new warrior?"

"I intend to tell you nothing."

"I'm warning you! You better speak up or else!"

"Or else what?!" Cao Bu asked in anger, standing up, "What are you going to do, kill me?"

Liu Bei shook his head. If the old man could not be intimidated, he could really do nothing about the situation. However, he just hoped this would give him leverage when he encountered Cao Cao. "Fine, be that way," he said, and exited his tent, leaving Cao Bu.

"My Lord," he was approached by Zhang Fei, who was apparently waiting for him outside his tent.

"Yes, what is it, brother?" Liu Bei responded.

Zhang Fei looked grimly at his lord. "We have just received word of a large force coming our way, surely sent to recover Cao Bu! It's said that Cao Ren and Xu Zhu are leading up the enemy side!"

Liu Bei drew his sword for dramatic effect. "They will not be able to stop us. Let's travel out to meet them right now. They will not expect an attack."

So it was that the Lord Liu Bei decided to attack Cao Cao's frontline forces. It would be a decision he would grow to regret.

The next day, out on the battlefield, things couldn't have been going better for Liu Bei. Guan Yu had won a duel with Xu Zhu, effectively cutting the amount of enemy officers in half. Now Liu Bei only was concerning himself with seeking out Cao Ren, who was being uncharacteristically elusive. Perhaps even the mighty Cao Ren was now fearing Shu forces.

Liu Bei was about to give up and let his army do the work when a wounded soldier stumbled up to him.

"Lord Liu Bei!" he gasped, "The demon is here! He'll kill us all!"

Liu Bei ran past the man and in the direction he had come from. What could this demon be? Had Himiko come along to cause some trouble with her spells? Had an ancient dragon been revived? Had that man simply been delirious? It was impossible to tell. But for now, Liu Bei just mowed down any enemy soldiers that tried to block his passage.

When he finally arrived at the epicenter, he was horrified to see the identity to the man's demon. Somehow Cao Cao had gotten Lu Bu to join him. The legendary warrior was laughing as he took apart footsoldiers and captains alike with his massive spear.

"Lu Bu! What are you doing here?!" he shouted.

The monster of a man turned around. "Liu Bei," he started in a calm voice, "So you've finally decided to show up. I will destroy you."


	2. A Proposal to Wu

DISCLAIMER: These characters do not belong to me. If they did, I'd be the best writer in the world, because, well, Dynasty Warriors kicks more ass than anything ever!

Author's Note: Right. I don't even know if Cao Bu is in Dynasty Warriors. I only saw him in Kessen. Same with Himiko. But I don't know. I just like those characters.

Liu Bei had no intention of fighting Lu Bu at this time. He backed off slightly, a look of fear coming over his face. "I won't let a monster like you stop me. The Han dynasty will be restored!"

Lu Bu smiled at him, a cold smile with no emotion in it. Then he said, "If you wish to restore the Han dynasty, then why do you oppose me? Is not Dong Zhuo the one fighting to preserve it? Am I not his son?

"You are not the one destined to rule the Han dynasty," Liu Bei retorted, "I am the one of Han lineage."

"Again we hear that outrageous claim of having Han lineage. I see no proof."

"You need no proof. I will prevail because I deserve to, and the mandate of heaven will be mine."

Lu Bu hefted his weapon up on his shoulder. "Now I can see why they call you the pretender. You don't even own land. Like you could be the emperor."

Liu Bei was becoming enraged, perhaps falling into Lu Bu's trap. "Lord Liu Biao recognized that I would one day be emperor. Why would a young one like you have such trouble believing it?"

But Lu Bu was done here, not even seeing Liu Bei as a threat. "You're a fool who's wasting my time," he said over his shoulder as he walked away.

Anger filled Liu Bei, possessing him to do something he normally would have known was foolhardy. "You'll not slay any more of my soldiers!" he shouted and leapt at the unprotected back of Lu Bu.

Before he could even get close, Lu Bu spun around and struck him down in one hit so hard that he would have to immediately leave the battle. Seeming not to be happy about this victory at all, the beast simply walked away to cause carnage elsewhere.

Liu Bei woke in a daze several hours later. "What's going on?" he asked, not knowing if anyone could hear him. Zhuge Liang appeared by his side by magic.

"So you've awakened, I see," the sorcerer observed.

"What happened, Zhuge Liang?"

"We lost because of Lu Bu. Your army lost all morale after you left the battlefield and passed out. They let us go only because we gave them back Cao Bu. We're lucky to be able to live to fight another day."

Liu Bei sat up slightly, sending a twinge of pain through his body. "This doesn't make any sense. Why would Lu Bu join up with Cao Cao? It doesn't make sense. I thought we both had an alliance when we fought Dong Zhuo. But he still managed to escape with most of his generals. Wouldn't Cao Cao hate him?"

Zhuge Liang shook his head. The sorcerer added, "No, you have it all wrong. I received word a few days back that Dong Zhuo is dead, reportedly slain by Lu Bu himself."

"That scum!" Liu Bei close to shouted, "He would kill his own father?!"

"Quiet down, my Lord. Dong Zhuo was much more evil than Lu Bu and much more dangerous really. We never could have beaten him without allying ourself with Wei. Lu Bu is dangerous by himself, but he's only one person. He doesn't have the armies or officers that Dong Zhuo had at his disposal."

"Well, if I can't beat him, then who can?"

"Well, I know you won't like this idea, but I suggest we ally ourselves with the Wu kingdom."

"It's true that I don't think Sun Jian can be trusted. His threat will eventually need to be eliminated to unite the country under the Han dynasty. What do you have planned?"

Zhuge Liang pulled out his battle fan and fanned wind slowly toward his face. "We don't have to deal with Sun Jian directly. There is always his famous son."

"Do you mean Sun Ce or Sun Quan?"

"Did you hit your head? Sun Ce, of course. Sun Quan is a strategist. We have no need of him if I'm here!"

Liu Bei grinned despite himself. "Sorry about that, Zhuge Liang."

"Well, anyhow, should I set up a meeting with Sun Ce?"

"The little conqueror? Ah, what the hell? Let's go for it. Maybe with his help and some of his allies we could take on Lu Bu."

That night Zhuge Liang sent out Wei Yan to secure help from the Wu kingdom. Though the Wu forces generally specialized in naval battle, anything that would save them from the ravages of Cao Cao was welcome help. And this Sun Ce was supposed to be quite a warrior.


	3. Wei Yan's Quest

Author's Note: This is probably very irrelevant, but Wei Yan is my favorite character. I don't know why. He's just cool. And I'm also a major admirer of Zhou Tai. Katanas are the best. That's why I'm using these seemingly unimportant characters so much.

Chapter 3- Sun Quan's Decision

Spurred on by the frantic nature of Liu Bei's request, Wei Yan rode through the night like a madman, pausing for nothing in his quest to reach the Wu kingdom. The importance of this mission could not be underestimated. If Cao Cao were to find out about the alliance that Liu Bei was attempting to make, who knows what drastic thing he may resort to? As he rode on faster and faster, suddenly something stopped him.

It was a tall warrior with a very large, curved sword. He wore a unique helmet and had a certain aura of confidence that was apparent to Wei Yan. "Who are you?" the Shu officer asked, not taking his hand off his weapon.

The tall man put his hand on his own sword. "What do you think? I'm a guard for Lord Sun Jian. You seem to be a Shu officer. Have you come for my Lord's head?" he spoke very calmly. This was not the kind of man that Wei Yan wanted to cross, despite his own considerable power.

Wei Yan shook his head. "We're not at war with Wu. Need to see Sun Ce," he said in his incredibly deep voice. Wei Yan was really not the most articulate of the Shu officers when it came to words. He didn't speak much when he could help it, only really took the time to shout out orders to anyone serving under him. This had become an uncomfortable situation for the officer.

"I can tell you don't really want to talk to me," the officer said, taking his hand off the hilt of his sword, "So I guess I can take you to Sun Ce. But just to warn you, he's stronger than I am, and he's probably capable of killing any assassins like you that are thrown at him."

When Wei Yan nodded, the man spoke again, "I am Wu officer Zhou Tai. Good to meet you."

Just a little while later they were both riding across the countryside on their way to Sun Ce's flagship where he was apparently staying. As they rode, Zhou Tai told of his weapon. It was a katana, from Japan. Such weapons really were not commonplace in China (demonstrated by the fact that it takes the entire game in Kessen 2 to get katana troops.) But the warrior had pledged his life to Sun Jian.

Although not saying anything, Wei Yan actually liked this Zhou Tai. It was too bad he would eventually have to be killed. Wei Yan would never betray Liu Bei, and Liu Bei's plan consisted of destroying the Wu kingdom eventually. Otherwise, he would never be able to get the Mandate of Heaven. As always, Wei Yan would do what had to be done, kill who had to be killed, and just follow his orders.

Eventually they reached the edge of a large body of water where the ship he was after was anchored. Zhou Tai dismounted his horse and looked back. "Stay here. I'll get Sun Ce." And with that, the large man disappeared into the mist. Wei Yan took this time to get off his own horse. He was lucky he had run into Zhou Tai on the way to this place. If he had not, he might have had some trouble getting there. As it was, he could see archers up on a couple towers that had him in their sights in case he tried to attack or anything. No doubt he could kill them all, but at what cost?

This had been quite a day. What bothered Wei Yan about it was the fact that he was being sent out on this mission. He seemed the least likely for the job. He was basically the new guy, Zhuge Liang didn't even want him on as an officer for some reason, and the fact that he wasn't the best at talking. Then again, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were probably more likely to offend Sun Ce accidentally. They really weren't the best gentlemen in the kingdom.

As Wei Yan stood there, alert but not feeling threatened, Zhou Tai returned with Sun Ce, who was also accompanied by Sun Quan. Sun Ce was a much smaller man than Wei Yan, but it was obvious he had his share of hidden power. Also, his tonfas, though pretty large for their weapon type, were said to move at lightning speed when he utilized them. Sun Quan was somewhat taller than his brother, but he had the air of a nobleman about him. Also, he wore a robe and a really annoying rectangular-shaped hat.

"So," Sun Quan spoke, "Your business here is not to try to destroy us? How surprising."

"Lord Liu Bei sent me," explained Wei Yan, "here to get help."

Sun Ce stepped in front of his brother. "Help? Why would we give you help?"

Wei Yan was about to try to explain in as few words as possible when Zhou Tai helped him out by cutting in. "The Shu are not at war with us. We're supposed to be on good terms. I don't see why you can't band together."

Sun Quan looked quizzically at Wei Yan. "I fail to understand this," he said, "Your forces should be able to take on Cao Cao. Last time I checked, you actually had the advantage."

Wei Yan needed only speak two words to explain the hopelessness of the situation, "Lu Bu."

Sun Quan was exasperated. "What?! You can't mean that Lu Bu, the beast we fought at Hu Lao, has joined up at Cao Cao! Now I see. Liu Bei's morale must be dropping quite rapidly. Normally I'd say we couldn't trust Shu, but this threat has got to be eliminated. Wei has grown far too powerful for us to feel safe here anymore."

Sun Ce then spoke, "Whatever. You're too uptight, brother. I was going to help them anyway. It's not like I have anything to worry about."

Wei Yan listened to the young man in wonder. Even after all the battle and killing he had been through, he still sounded so innocent and ambitious. Kind of like a young Cao Cao. Well, the ambition anyway; it was unlikely that Cao Cao was even born innocent.

"Good," Wei Yan voiced.

"Wait!" Sun Quan exclaimed, "I might be overestimating the threat here, but I'm coming too. I can't just stand by and let this happen. And we're taking Gan Ning with us as well.

Sun Ce looked at his brother with a smirk. He certainly thought Sun Quan was going overboard with this. Why was there need to bring in such force as Gan Ning?

Zhou Tai gritted his teeth. "Please, my Lord, allow me to accompany you."

Sun Ce looked over in surprise. "Wow, this is really going to be overkill! There isn't going to be anything left of that punk, Lu Bu!"

Wei Yan smiled. These men were all great warriors, but Gan Ning was renowned as an excellent warrior. He was apparently a pirate that came to serve under Sun Jian through some mysterious circumstances. It occurred to Wei Yan that perhaps Sun Ce had beaten him in a duel to gain his help. Either way, this was far more than Liu Bei had been expecting of him. The Shu officer just hoped that Zhuge Liang would not be sore with these many Wu units on the battlefield. Wei Yan swore, sometimes that sorcerer can be crazy.


	4. Shu Versus Wei

Liu Bei kept himself immersed in his studies to keep from slipping into the deep depression that threatened to take hold of him. Never had he actually thought that Cao Cao's evil could triumph over his righteous claim to the Han dynasty. Now it seemed impossible for his army to emerge victorious. Could this be the end of his claim to be Emperor?

"Dammit!" he shouted and slammed his fist on his table. And why had he sent out Wei Yan? That seemed like a foolish plan to him right now. He should have just sent Guan Yu. It was true that the old general had a tendency to offend people, but he trusted him as a brother. Especially after the Oath which made them brothers. He guessed it just came down to the fact that he was running out of good officers. He had to send someone who didn't command any troops and who would probably not be pivotal to the battle that could possibly take place while he was gone.

Zhuge Liang walked in. "Filled with tension still, I see."

"I can't take anymore of this!" Liu Bei said. He was losing it right before Zhuge Liang's eyes.

"My Lord, he's just one man. Lu Bu will not make or break any battles."

"Explain that last battle then! We had every conceivable advantage, then we were just suddenly wiped out by that bastard!"

The sorcerer didn't know if he really believed what he was saying, but Liu Bei really needed to raise his morale. Soon his troops would probably begin deserting. "Look, if you're that scared of him, let's just have all our officers converge on him at once and wipe him out. Even Lu Bu couldn't fight that many officers at a time."

"I'd really rather not do that."

"But do we really have a choice, my Lord? Can you beat him yourself?"

"No, I don't think so."

Zhuge Liang walked to right near the exit of the tent. "Well, I'm suggesting we attack tomorrow. Right now we have the advantage in numbers. He could receive reinforcements if we wait too long." With that, the sorcerer was gone.

Liu Bei actually understood what Zhuge Liang was saying, and he was aware that the great strategist was always right as well. He just didn't want to go back into combat. Perhaps he could send Guan Yu in his stead? No. His troops would not be happy if he were not out on the battlefield himself. There was only one option. Zhuge Liang's plan had to be followed.

The following day, Liu Bei sent his army out in force. Every officer but the inexplicably absent Wei Yan prepared their forces for battle, shouting battle cries mostly relating to killing Lu Bu. Liu Bei himself stayed behind because of the importance of his unit. If he acted foolishly this time, Lu Bu might not be so kind as to let him live.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei rode up beside their commander and brother. "Brother," said Zhang Fei, "We're ready to engage the main enemy. Is it time yet?"

Liu Bei nodded. "Converge on Lu Bu's unit and end the beast's life!"

Guan Yu spun his spear around. "I don't normally condone of unfair fighting, but this is the exception. Lu Bu should already be dead."

Zhang Fei continued speaking as they rode away from Liu Bei, "I bet Dong Zhuo gave him one hell of a fight. He was a tough old man."

"True. But it's better that Lu Bu was victorious. Dong Zhuo would actually be a much more dangerous enemy. He had lots of alliances that we really don't need to face. But, hey, what's up with Liu Bei?"

Zhang Fei scratched his head. "I'm not sure. I thought he was acting a bit strange. Normally he'd want to be out there on the front lines. He must have been more affected by losing to Lu Bu the other day than we thought."

Guan Yu then mused, "Perhaps he's still recovering from that last battle. It was a pretty rough fight for all of Shu."

"Yeah, that must just be it."

With that, they prepared for what would be one of the defining battles of the war.

Meanwhile, heading toward them, Cao Cao's army (Cao Cao not being present) had the best of morale. A few more officers, including Cao Ang and Cao Pi, had shown up, sent by Cao Cao. Cao Bu was recovering from his injuries. A large section of the army was headed up by Xu Zhu (sp?), a very large man who wielded a great club. Cao Cao seemed to be fond of him for his many years of faithful service. Normally he would probably break off and fight Guan Yu, but this time he was given a mission. His forces were to sneak around and attack Liu Bei, who Lu Bu guaranteed them would not be on the front lines.

Xu Zhu was not a very intelligent man, possessing, for the most part, the mind of a child. But he could understand missions that were given to him, and he could carry them out with deadly proficiency.

As Lu Bu sat there pensively on top of Red Hare, he suddenly saw Liu Bei's forces come running over the horizon. "Here it comes. The battle of my life," he said rather quietly, then shouted, "All forces, rush them!"

They followed his command and both armies clashed. Men fell dead everywhere. However, not as many as would when all the officers reached the front lines. Wei did well to hold off Shu, having the advantage due to their set archer ambushes, but it was obvious that they would not win unless the officers' battling went in their favor.

That was when Lu Bu rushed out of the front of the Wei army and cut down a whole division in one sweep of his mighty halberd. "This won't be so easy, fools. None among you are worthy of being called my enemy!" he shouted as he mercilessly slaughtered any normal soldiers who got in his way.

The first officer to reach him was the powerhouse known as Taishi Ci. Taishi Ci was a very dangerous man who had joined Liu Bei in response to an offer for friendship. His giant rods he fought with had unrivaled power when he wielded them and he was known for sending enemies flying fifty feet or more with a good, solid blow.

Lu Bu jumped off his horse and prepared to defend himself. Taishi Ci yelled a battle cry and struck out with all his might at the beast's head. Lu Bu easily blocked it, a slight smile never leaving his face, then he countered, striking Tashi Ci in the face with the blunt end of his polearm. Never had the strong man been manhandled like that in his life, and now he was pissed. He rose up off the ground, his energy emanating from him visibly. "You die!" he shouted and struck with as much energy as he had.

Even Lu Bu would not try to block such a mighty blow, so he nimbly dodged it. Afterward he had plenty of time to gash Tashi Ci badly along the back with the point of his weapon. The Shu officer groaned and fell to the ground, very much ashamed of being defeated so easily.

Lu Bu had been lucky only one officer had found him at a time. However, he figured that luck was probably about to run out. And he found that this theory was correct when the brothers, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, ran onto the scene at the exact same time. Liu Bei must have been especially worried, thought Lu Bu, he usually assigns one of them to each side of the battlefield. It truly was quite unusual to see them converge on the same enemy.

Despite slight dismay, Lu Bu had no doubts as to his ability. He stepped forward with extreme confidence. "Well, now. Shall we fight?"

End of Chapter Note: I have a lot of things going here. The next chapter will probably be a long one, detailing both Lu Bu's battle and Liu Bei's confrontation with Xu Zhu. Also, Wei Yan's reinforcements. It'll be cool. I'll get to work on that right now.


	5. Xu Zhu's Trap

Author's Note: I see from my reviews that I have Liu Bei out of character already. And I'm just warning that he's about to do something really out of character, so please don't yell at me too much.

Lu Bu stepped over the body of Taishi Ci, still with the same smile on his face. He had downed a powerful opponent already and he wasn't even breathing hard.

Guan Yu stopped dead in his path. "He took out Taishi Ci already? He's not even hurt!" Guan Yu had obviously developed a great deal of respect for Taishi Ci while fighting alongside him. But, while this was impressive, Guan Yu knew that he and Zhang Fei were stronger than Taishi Ci. If not in physical strength, then in sheer skill of fighting.

"So," Lu Bu spoke very calmly, "I suppose you two are here for my head."

"Damn right!" shouted Zhang Fei.

Never really one for thinking, Zhang Fei attacked with his spear at that very moment, hoping to catch Lu Bu off guard. The warrior blocked with surprising ease, and he would have had time to strike back freely if he were not forced to block an attack coming at him from behind, via Guan Yu. Then both Shu officers were forced to jump back quickly as Lu Bu whirled around, becoming a spinning disk of death. He stopped suddenly and stabbed at Zhang Fei.

The tough warrior blocked, but he was amazed at the kind of strength Lu Bu had. The warrior didn't really look all that tough. He actually looked pretty scrawny. But he was so gifted at combat. Zhang Fei began to doubt his own abilities for the first time in his life. It was at this time that Lu Bu moved even faster than usual, kicking Zhang Fei in the stomach, and slashing downward to cut open his leg. But even the greatest warrior can never be perfect, and he had allowed Guan Yu plenty enough time. Guan Yu saw victory in sight as he swung for Lu Bu's neck. But, alas, he struck something much harder than flesh. Lu Bu had managed to see it coming and blocked with his armored hand. Guan Yu had trouble believing what he was seeing.

Lu Bu whirled around in apparent anger, smashing Guan Yu hard in the face before he could even think of blocking. "You're old fools," Lu Bu said as he finally found the two backing off a bit. Then, just as they were about to try their luck again, Lu Bu was suddenly struck by magical energy from the side and sent flying. The great warrior immediately rose, unharmed in anything but his pride.

Zhuge Liang then walked in from the side. "I know three-on-one is hardly fair, but the fact is that you have to die, Lu Bu."

Meanwhile, Liu Bei was in the back ranks, awaiting any information about the battle with Lu Bu. He really wasn't too sure about this battle. It just didn't feel right. For his men to be allowed to attack Lu Bu in such numbers, didn't that mean that the other enemy officers could be up to anything?

He was forced to note that that fear was not unfounded when he saw Cao Ren emerge from the hillside in the distance, surprising Zhuge Liang's forces and slaughtering a good many of them. He looked around and saw the sorcerer nowhere in sight. "I guess I'll have to save the day," he said tiredly, and took off on his horse.

He was about halfway to Cao Ren when a giant boulder flew into his view and smashed his horse out from under him. He landed on his feet. "What? Is this magic?" he asked nobody in particular.

His answer came from the side, in the form of the massive Xu Zhu. The large man ran at him, showing no real quickness or agility, with his mace raised high above his head. Liu Bei quickly prepared himself for combat and easily dodged the first attempt to hit him. But as he tried to strike back in Xu Zhu's unbalanced moment, he found the large man to not be as uncoordinated as he had surmised. Xu Zhu blocked, and charged Liu Bei, sending him crashing into the ground with his incredible mass. The Shu commander rolled to his feet. He had always viewed Xu Zhu as a lesser officer, but now as he fought him for the first time, he realized why Cao Cao kept him around. But this battle must go to Shu at any cost. Liu Bei was determined to restore the Han dynasty.

"You're dead!" he shouted and jumped up in the air, leaping for the big man's face. There was a smile on Xu Zhu's face as he blocked Liu Bei's mighty blow without much effort, but the smile faded as he realized what had happened. Liu Bei had used his charge attack to cover up the fact that he had pulled out a knife and stabbed with his other hand as well.

"Hate to do this to you, but this battle is more important to me than winning honorably. Besides, there aren't any rules of war about multiple weapons," Liu Bei said as he began to run toward Cao Ren, leaving his mangled horse behind.

Xu Zhu was on the ground just trying to stay breathing. "I don't want to die," he whined, and let out his final breath.

Liu Bei would not have even considered doing something like that under normal circumstances. It wasn't something the great leader of Han would do. But here he was seeing everything he had worked so hard for fall apart in front of his very eyes. He narrowed his eyes as he came within range to the battle. Cao Ren was next.

Zhang Fei and Guan Yu were both very tired, proving no match for Lu Bu. Zhang Fei had already collapsed from exhaustion and a sharp blow to the head and Guan Yu was barely getting up every time Lu Bu knocked him back down. Zhuge Liang was not tired, but his magic appeared to be having very little effect on the monster.

"I will stop you for Lord Liu Bei!" the sorcerer shouted and blasted another magic beam attack in the direction of Lu Bu. The prodigy yelled a battle cry and swung downward, cutting the beam of musou in half amazingly. While cool-looking, this gesture also gave him a very clear shot at Zhuge Liang. He would not miss a chance to kill the great sorcerer. Zhuge Liang could see this in his eyes and he felt a sudden flash of terror as Lu Bu began a stabbing motion toward his chest. Could this be the end of the legendary sorcerer? The thrust continued, and Zhuge Liang saw the world as if in slow motion.

**Is this to be my death?** He wondered.

End of Chapter


	6. Cao Cao's Bravery

Just when Zhuge Liang thought he was dead for sure, something struck Lu Bu from behind with tremendous force. The warrior was thrown off his feet and to the ground. Zhuge Liang recovered and looked over to see Sun Ce, with his good friend, the pirate Gan Ning.

"You want some more?" Sun Ce said, filled with cockiness. Lu Bu stared at him coldly, perhaps summing up the situation, then decided it would be wiser not to continue fighting. Especially since Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were back on their feet and ready to fight. If he were to wait around here, he would probably be overwhelmed by enemy officers and killed. Cao Cao would be very angry at him for leaving Cao Ren behind, but the warrior didn't really care that much what Cao Cao thought. This was an alliance. He was not working for the Wei overlord.

With a mad look on his face, Lu Bu signaled for all forces near him to retreat. They happily obliged, being greatly outnumbered for the most part. "Well, looks like your plan failed, Cao Cao," he said to himself as he mounted Red Hare and fled the battlefield.

Zhang Fei was barely standing, but his concern was not for his own condition. "How has my brother fared?"

Sun Ce answered, "Don't worry about that. My brother went with Wei Yan to help him out. We received word that he killed Xu Zhu and took off to fight Cao Ren's forces by himself."

"We really didn't want him to fight in this one. He wasn't in the best state for it," voiced Guan Yu.

"Wait," Zhang Fei said, "Aren't you Sun Ce? What are you doing here?"

"Your Lord sent for help from the Wu Kingdom. What, not happy to see me?"

Zhang Fei simply collapsed at this point. Guan Yu sighed and began to carry back his rather heavy brother.

Sun Ce smiled, bragging, "I don't know why everyone is talking about that guy being tough. I beat Lu Bu in one hit!"

"Just because I didn't get there first!" Gan Ning retorted.

"My lord," Zhou Tai started, "Shouldn't we help clean up the enemy forces?"

Sun Ce shook his head vigorously. "Officers are not necessary for that kind of work. It would be a waste of talent. The normal forces are more than enough to eliminate the Wei presence."

Zhou Tai had a hard time believing the ego Sun Ce had developed since becoming well-known as a warrior. Not that it bothered him. His father was the same way, in a more calm sense. It was just so surprising how much he had changed. Zhou Tai was a very powerful man, but even he would not want to get on his Lord's bad side. He could probably conclude that it was just too much talking to Gan Ning, who seemed to always think he was the greatest.

"What do we have here?" Gan Ning asked, as he ran into the unconscious Taishi Ci. "Wow, is that Taishi Ci? Maybe this Lu Bu guy is a bit better than we thought."

Sun Ce shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I never even got to see him fight."

A ways away, Zhuge Liang was recovering from the shock he had been put through. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought that he would be killed in what he thought was a trivial battle. So it seemed Wu forces had saved his life. What surprised him more, however, was the great work that Wei Yan had done on the mission he had undertaken. Zhuge Liang had never really like Wei Yan, more preferring the intellectual type of officer. Also, to join Liu Bei, Wei Yan had killed his former master. Anyone who would kill their commander could not be trusted by their next commander.

But his dislike went deeper than that. Wei Yan never took off his helmet. His face could not be seen, and for some reason the sorcerer could not tell what he was thinking. Maybe it was because he avoided talking, maybe because of the helmet, or maybe some strange magic he had laid on himself, but Zhuge Liang had a lot of trouble trusting anyone that he couldn't read, like he did most people.

The sorcerer still didn't like this Wei Yan, but he had to commend the job he did. With that, he headed back toward where the battle was ending.

Cao Cao was sitting in his throne room when he heard the news of the battle. "What?!" he shouted, punching his servant out of the room and through the hallway.

They had lost the battle without killing a single enemy officer. What could this mean? Did this mean Lu Bu had betrayed him? He couldn't be sure without more information, but this was enough to seriously anger him. That attack had been meant to cripple the Shu army. However, all it served to do was boost their morale. This was not what he had planned.

Of course, Cao Cao had no idea that they won with help from Wu forces. He just figured his officers were incompetent. His chief sorceress, Himiko, had told him of what happened when Xu Zhu died. The loss was a bit sore, but he could easily be replaced. There were many hard-working minor officers to take his place with nearly equal power, and surely with greater intellect. That was it! He would get Himiko to give him more information on the battle.

Without him even asking, the young woman burst in. "Lord Cao Cao! Cao Ren is in some serious trouble!"

"Cao Ren?!" he responded with much emotion, "What's happened?!"

"He's been surrounded! Him and a few minor officers are holed up in a cave. At the moment their forces are keeping them safe, but they won't hold out much longer!"

Cao Cao made a fist, "Take me there quickly with your magic!"

"But what are you going to do? You can't take on the whole army by yourself!"

Trust me, Himiko. I know what to do. Liu Bei won't be able to resist the opportunity for a shot at me. Besides, I cannot lost Cao Ren. He is a great man and my most trusted officer!"

Himiko took a deep breath and said, "All right. I'll trust you, Lord Cao Cao."

Then they were flying at incredible speed toward their destination. Cao Cao was intent on resolving this situation in his normal, cool way.

End of Chapter


	7. Cao Ren's Deadly Skill

Liu Bei walked over toward the entrance of the cave and was abruptly forced to step away as a volley of arrows flew from within. "Whoa!" he exclaimed.

Zhuge Liang glided up beside him. "Don't worry, Lord Liu Bei. You don't have to deal with the archers. We have minions for that."

Liu Bei smiled weakly. He just didn't feel like they had won quite yet. It seemed to him that such an easily won battle would have to be a part to a strange ambush or something.

Sensing what his lord was thinking, Zhuge Liang said, "The battle is over. There are no enemy forces anywhere near here, so there will be no reinforcements. Things looked bad back there, but we crippled their army in that attack. It is surely a sore blow to lose Xu Zhu."

Liu Bei responded, "I really don't like the treacherous way I killed him."

"Xu Zhu was not a very nice man. He was alright to those with similar power, but he has killed hundreds of innocents. You shouldn't feel too bad about his death."

Liu Bei sighed. "I suppose the ends will justify the means when I restore the Han dynasty."

They were about to call the all-out charge on Cao Ren's position when a very strange thing suddenly happened. Cao Cao himself came walking through the battlefield without a weapon drawn, Himiko at his side.

Zhuge Liang himself was honestly surprised at this turn of events. "Stand back, my Lord. Don't get within striking range," he cautioned.

But once again to his surprise, Cao Cao stopped short of reaching Liu Bei. The normal soldiers in the Shu army crowded around, but didn't get too close, knowing they could never defeat the Hero of Chaos.

"Cao Cao," Zhuge Liang said, "What are you doing here? Are you going to take on the whole army by yourself?"

Cao Cao scowled. "You fool. Of course I am here for my officer, Cao Ren. Feel lucky you managed to take Xu Zhu."

Liu Bei scratched the back of his head. Cao Cao had no idea he had cheated to take the big man down. But he wondered, what could Cao Cao be doing here? If he didn't mean to take on the army himself, then why was he even there?

The Wei Lord straightened up. "I have come to request a duel with your Lord."

"Why should my Lord see you?"

"Otherwise I could just start killing. Himiko and I could cause a lot of damage to your army with a surprise attack right now. Most of them don't know we are here, and a meteor shower from her magic could kill thousands quite easily."

Liu Bei motioned for Zhuge Liang to step aside. "I'm not scared of you at all, Cao Cao. That is why I must prove it by accepting your challenge."

Cao Cao smiled. He had nothing but confidence in the fact that he would squash this pretender. He had more experience, more physical power, and more ambition. At least he was pretty sure. He had to admit that Liu Bei was obsessed with restoring the Han to power. However, all this really was, in his belief, is an attempt by a former poor man to seize the throne. It would not be taken kindly to by Wei.

Wei Yan was watching the entire thing in silence, as he always did. It seemed that Cao Cao had just walked in, demanded a duel, and gotten it. Liu Bei must not have been in a very solid mental state. His decisions were just getting weirder and weirder. When they finally restored the Han dynasty there would be plenty of time for him to rest. Until then, they would have to continue butting heads with the unstoppable Cao Cao. As this was happening, he heard a sound from over near the cave.

Looking over, he saw the worst possible thing. In all of the distraction of a duel, Cao Ren had broken through the archers guarding the cave and he was now swathing a path through Shu forces. Those normal soldiers would have no chance of stopping such a strong hero. It was up to Wei Yan.

The large man sprinted up to Cao Ren and stropped. "You. Wei officer. Die."

Cao Ren saw this strike coming and the two mighty warriors clashed blades. Each one could tell that their opponent was a very strong one.

Wei Yan slipped away quickly, and struck at his opponent once on each side quickly. Cao Ren, having a shield, was able to block both of them. But when he tried to counterattack, Wei Yan jumped over his and kicked him hard in the face.

Spitting out blood, he spoke, "I didn't know you were this strong. This could be a good fight." Everyone else was already backed off from the two warriors who were locked in combat.

Fighting with his renowned style, Cao Ren stabbed with his sword and when Wei Yan was forced to block, he smashed him in the side of his head with his buckler. Wei Yan fell back, his vision getting a little fuzzy for a second. Then he raised his weapon and charged again with renewed vigor. He would surely not fall here!


	8. The Duel

Wei Yan was not wounded or anything like that, but he was a bit warier after seeing the kind of pain Cao Ren could inflict. He would have to be careful; it was unlikely that anyone would come in to help him out while Liu Bei was dueling. He gripped his weapon tightly. Cao Ren was a bit less serious. Most likely that was because he trusted Cao Cao to save him. Besides, someone like Cao Ren was used to winning every battle he was in.

The Wei officer laughed a bit as he saw how shaken Wei Yan was. "What's wrong? Lost your nerve?" he laughed.

Wei Yan did not respond in words, but instead attacked with all his strength. Cao Ren underestimated his strength and was thrown off a bit by the force of the blow. He jumped back before a follow-up attack could take off his head. Then he charged forward, perceiving Wei Yan vulnerability falsely. The Shu warrior knocked aside his shield and weapon at the same time and kneed him in the face.

"You cocky little bastard!" Cao Ren shouted, ignoring the fact that Wei Yan was considerably bigger than him.

Back at the other battle scene, Cao Cao and Liu Bei were both prepared for battle. Liu Bei was dead serious as always. His face was grim set and he wouldn't look at anything but his opponent. To lose here would be a very serious setback for the Shu army. They would likely have to retreat unless there were more Wu reinforcements.

Surprisingly to most, Cao Cao was also in a very serious mood. Usually he would have taken it lightly when fighting an inexperienced warrior like Liu Bei, but this was very important. Cao Ren could not be replaced as most of his officers could be. Cao Ren was a very important officer to him. That was the only reason Cao Cao had taken this trip.

Himiko and Zhuge Liang were forced to stand next to each other, so neither would be able to interfere with the battle magically. Not that either of them would; it was mostly a formality.

"So, Himiko," Zhuge Liang started, "How goes your studies in magic?"

She replied flatly, "I don't study magic. I'm naturally gifted."

"You know you could be much stronger if you worked harder."

"I'm stronger than you'll ever be!" she snapped.

Zhuge Liang turned away, a slight grin on his face. While Himiko was very gifted, she was nowhere near the levels of magic that the sorcerer had obtained and she never would be. Zhuge Liang's magic power was completely unprecedented. Nobody had the kind of power he had. However, he had given up much to obtain this power. He had certainly given up on the prospect of ever having a normal life. Perhaps even having a relationship… He would worry about these things later.

Cao Cao took the initiative. He ran forward, holding his sword behind him. Liu Bei followed suit. It looked like there would be a clash to decide the duel. But at the last second Liu Bei slid quickly out of the way and came back inform the side, in the same move that had defeated the ancient Cao Bu. Cao Cao was much more formidable than his uncle, however, and parried the attack with no difficulty. He then smashed Liu Bei in the face with the hilt of his sword, but not hard enough to cause any real damage.

The Shu Lord fell back for a second, then tried a second swift attack. Once again, it looked like it would hit, then it was blocked, and he got smashed in the face again. He knew he shouldn't worry about looking stupid, but he knew all the officers under him were probably burying their faces in their hands at the sight of this one-sided battle. So then he fell back and decided to take the defensive.

"Given up on your attacking already?" Cao Cao asked. But there was no hint of humor in his voice. This was still dead serious business for the warlord. When Liu Bei opted not to answer, Cao Cao charged up his sword with energy, and slashed out at Liu Bei. To the Shu Lord's dismay, a stream of energy slashed across his chest, cutting him as the actual sword would.

"What is… this?" he gasped.

"Maybe that will give you an idea as to how strong I am. I am, after all, the Hero of Chaos. I didn't get that name by being weak."

Liu Bei was not seriously wounded, so he tried to stay on the defensive. If Cao Cao tried that move again, he would probably be able to dodge it. Cao Cao did not try that move again. Instead, he stabbed forward very quickly and followed that attack with about ten more attacks in the same second. Liu Bei found himself coming very near to death as stabs came very close to hitting his head as they were blocked. This was the right moment, he thought, and once again tried his sliding attack. But Cao Cao caught his sword with the point of his own sword, showing he could more than keep up that pace of fight.

Then the Lord decided to end it and stabbed Liu Bei through the shoulder. As Liu Bei knew he was defeated he just winced in pain as his opponent removed the sword and began to walk away from the battlefield. As their Lord fell to his knees, most of Liu Bei's officers crowded around him to see if he would be okay. Of course, he would. If Cao Cao had wanted to kill him, he would be stabbed through the heart or the gut.

Zhuge Liang remained where he was, next to Himiko.

"Your Lord is such a great warrior. Why does he fight as the evil one. He could help bring peace."

Himiko responded intelligently this time. "Everyone who wants to rule the country will bring peace. But everyone wants to rule. It is this want for peace that causes the very chaos that ensues."

"I never knew you were so thoughtful, Himiko."

"I've got to go and meet my Lord. See, Zhuge Liang? My side is much stronger than yours!"

He smiled. "I suppose I'll see you later then."

"Right," she winked and glided away, levitating by her magic.

Zhuge Liang's seriousness returned now. This situation was the worst thing he had possibly imagined. Now, by their own promise, they had to let Cao Ren go. Their Lord was wounded, morale was down, and everyone was now afraid of Cao Cao after seeing him fight. The only ones that really still wanted a shot at him were Gan Ning and Sun Ce, and those guys were crazy.

On the other front of the battlefield, Wei Yan was still fighting Cao Ren. Neither officer had been hurt badly. Each was bruised and cut up to high hell, but otherwise they were feeling fine.

"That's it!" Cao Ren shouted as if he hadn't been trying his hardest the entire time. He then held his shield in front of him like a gun and it shot out explosions somehow. It seemed that his shield/scabbard had yet another use. It was quite an effective cannon. Wei Yan was unable to block the explosions and he was slammed to the ground. He was defenseless as Cao Ren raised his sword for the kill.

"Cao Ren! No more fighting. We leave now."

It was Cao Cao. Cao Ren knew better than to argue with his Lord. Surely killing a Shu officer would violate whichever terms there were for his leaving. "We'll finish this some other time."

Wei Yan sighed out in relief and collapsed against the ground. That was an exhausting battle.


	9. Aftermath of the Battle

Zhuge Liang rested right outside Liu Bei's room. There was no physical reason that his Lord would still be resting. With the exception of his arm, he was no longer even wounded. But that last loss had been a crushing loss in morale to all Shu forces. And that extended even to the officers. Nobody seemed to have the same feeling of having the advantage that had been so strong just a few weeks before.

What would the Shu forces do now? The most sensible thing would be to retreat, but the sorcerer knew that if they lost momentum here, they would likely never gain it back. This was probably the only chance they ever had to overwhelm Wei. But after hearing how their leader single-handedly bested the enemy, Wei morale would be up to a fanatical level. Either way they decided to look at it, things would be considerably harder than before.

The sorcerer walked out into the camp where all the officers were gathered around a fire. Darkness surrounded the camp, as it was pretty late at night. Zhuge Liang himself paid no heed to the time of day. He was so versed in magic that he was hardly even a human himself. "Sun Ce," he said.

The Wu warrior turned around to face him. "Yeah?"

"How long will you an your companions be staying here?"

"I don't know. What's up with Liu Bei?"

"He's just not feeling well. I'm sure nobody would after what happened to him."

Sun Ce sighed, "Nobody thinks he's a weakling because of it. The same thing would have happened to any of the other officers, and they all know it."

"Hey, not to me!" Gan Ning yelled from his position around the fire.

Zhuge Liang shook his head. Normally it was entertaining to talk to these two. However, at this time it was just a little annoying. They thought nothing like Liu Bei and could not anticipate the way that he felt.

Cao Cao was not feeling much better than Liu Bei. Although he had succeeded greatly in all that he did, his army still technically had the disadvantage. And he felt himself mourning the loss of Xu Zhu more than he had expected he would. The large man had made a surprisingly good assassin. He could be counted on for anything. Now Cao Cao would be forced to promote a minor officer with similar abilities. And the enemy seemed to have an overabundance of officers. While he was there he had also observed the reinforcements from Wu. Gan Ning, Sun Ce, and Sun Quan were surely mighty opponents rivaled by only the strongest of officers.

The Wei Lord could only see one possible way out of this, and that was with the enigmatic Lu Bu. Lu Bu still hadn't been heard from since the battle. On the instinctual level, he was thinking that the great warrior hadn't simply deserted. But, for whatever reason, he was no longer around there. However, Cao Cao suspected that he had been wrong in placing so much importance on one person. Lu Bu had probably been forced to fight many officers at once. Likely he had lost when the Wu reinforcements arrived. This was still a very troublesome situation, but he would not let his normal troops know about it.

"Cao Ren." He said rather loudly to call his main officer into the room.

Cao Ren strode in. "Yes, my Lord."

"How goes the condition of our forces?"

"Actually, we've got really good morale with the troops that we have, but we're vastly outnumbered. And they've got us outnumbered even worse in officers."

"So? We're obviously better in skill."

"Yes. I would have finished that barbarian if we didn't have to leave."

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes. "Quit complaining about that. If we didn't have to leave, they would have all surrounded and killed you. You're lucky I went back to save you."

"But, my Lord!"

"I'm serious, Ren. You've been neglecting your training lately, and you will pay for it if you don't get back to working. Now, where's Himiko?"

The sorceress appeared out of seemingly nowhere.

"Yes?" she asked.

"We will attack Shu while they are least expecting it."

Her eyes widened. "But they have us outnumbered! How could we expect to win?"

"We fight better than them. And hope to God that Lu Bu shows up to join the battle."

Cao Ren interrupted, "You would stake the outcome of the battle on that rogue?"

"I can do whatever I want. When has the Hero of Chaos ever lost in the past?"

For a day after that there was virtually no activity in either camps. Of course, Cao Cao militarized his forces and moved out toward the Shu encampment. There were few scouts at this time so it would probably be quite a surprise.

In Liu Bei's room, Zhuge Liang finally broke in and attempted to reason with his brooding Lord.

"My Lord," he said with anger but no malice, "You have simply got to get up and lead this army. If we were to lose at this point, all will be for naught. If we wait to attack, Cao Cao could take the offensive!"

Liu Bei was resting in a chair, his head buried in his hands. He looked very much like a tortured soul. At this point he laughed an almost manical laugh.

"Cao Cao! Attack me? Why would he attack me? He would lose with his numbers."

At this point Zhuge Liang smiled. He had better insight than his Lord could ever have into the minds of the Wei. "Or maybe that's just what he wants you to think."

It was then that a messenger burst in.

"My Lord! Wei forces have been sighted near here! At their rate of travel, they will be here within the hour!" he shouted.


End file.
